The Secret
by WolfShine
Summary: It's the seventh year at Hogwarts and darkness lurks around every corner. Harry and Ron are off finding Horcruxes and Hermione is sent to Hogwarts by the Order to defend it. She has a secret that not even Harry and Ron know. What will happen when Draco Malfoy discovers it? Dramione Rated M for adult themes (violence and sexual content) in later chapters
1. Chapter 1

**First off, here's my disclaimer! I do not own Harry Potter, none of the characters or places are mine.**

**Next, I'd like to say this is my first Harry Potter fanfic so don't judge too harshly please lol. Let me know what you think by leaving a nice review. All constructive feedback is welcomed!**

**Happy reading!**

* * *

Hermione Granger was the brightest witch of her age. She had proved that time and time again. From little on she had always been gifted, different some might say. As she clutched the letter from the headmistress in her hand, she was flushing with confidence in her ability. She had been chosen as Head Girl for the seventh year at Hogwarts.

A small smile played at her lips as she relaxed against her seat on the train. She tucked the note away into the folds of her robe as she watched the scenery out the window pass. She was perfectly comfortable with her solitude, she had known to expect it this year. Over the summer, Harry and Ron had been sent by the Order to search for the Horcruxes. Hermione had been ordered to keep watch over Hogwarts for signs of Death Eaters. It was an important task, but she knew she was more than qualified to handle it.

Even the headmistress thought so.

She heard the door to her compartment slide open suddenly and she looked to see Ginny smiling at her. The small girl closed the door before she sat down across from Hermione. She wiped at a strand of red hair to move it out of her eyes.

"Hey, I heard the good news. Congratulations on making Head Girl, Hermione!" she exclaimed.

Hermione smiled at her, picking the features of Ron out of her freckled face. "Yeah, I can't wait."

"I wonder who the Head Boy is?" Ginny pondered.

Hermione shrugged. Honestly, she hadn't thought about it much.

Ginny tilted her head to one side as she continued to speak. "Hopefully it'll be a Ravenclaw. You have to share living quarters with whoever it is after all. The last thing you'd need is for it to be with a slimy Slytherin."

Hermione nodded. "I know. I wouldn't worry about it so much, Ginny. No matter who it is, I'll be alright."

"I believe you," Ginny said blinking at her. "You're tough. That's why the Order decided for you to be here after all."

Hermione simpered at her. "Not as tough as you think."

"Missing Ron?" Ginny guessed.

"Missing Harry?" Hermione shot back.

Ginny laughed. "Good point. If I know you, you'll curl up in the library and forget all about it. And if worse comes to worse, we'll go shopping on the first Hogsmead weekend."

Hermione cringed at the thought. She knew Ginny liked to wander around, looking at clothes for hours. Hermione was more appealed by the thought of reading for endless hours to pass her time.

"And yes, you _will _go shopping," Ginny said, guessing her thought.

"We'll see, Ginny," Hermione said.

Ginny glanced out the window. "At least we're almost there."

Hermione nodded in agreement.

The sound of a compartment nearby slammed open with a force. Pansy ran past, tears streaking her porcelain face as raucous laughter from Malfoy followed.

Ginny and Hermione exchanged glances.

"Malfoy's up to his usual stunts," Hermione said.

"Let's just hope that with Harry and Ron not here, he doesn't bug us too much this year," Ginny said.

Hermione gave her a weird look. "Are you kidding, Ginny? It's _Malfoy _we're talking about."

"Yeah, he's a real arse." Ginny sighed. "Why is he even at school this year?"

Hermione shook her head. "I don't know, but it's definitely not a good thing. The Death Eaters probably have him here as a spy for Voldemort."

"And he'll damage as many people as he can in the process," Ginny said glancing towards the direction that Pansy had run off to.

Hermione joined in the glance. "I wouldn't worry about Pansy too much."

Ginny was silent as the train pulled slowly to a halt.

Ginny turned back to look at her friend. "Look at the bright side of this. You're Head Girl! You can write him up for everything stupid that him and his friends do."

Hermione nodded. "I'll enjoy it," she said as she stood to her feet. "Even without Harry and Ron, I plan on making Hogwarts a much better place."


	2. Chapter 2

The second that Hermione stepped off of the train, McGonagall ran up to her. By the worry on her face, it was apparent that she had been searching for her since the train stopped.

"Congratulations on your Head position, Miss Granger," she said.

Hermione dipped her head in greeting. "Thank you for the opportunity, Headmistress. I have a small question, if I may?"

McGonagall raised an eyebrow. "Oh? What is it?"

"Who's the Head Boy?" she asked.

"He's coming right now," she replied.

"Despairing over me already, Granger?" a voice drawled from behind her suddenly.

Hermione's blood turned to ice. She whirled on her heels to face him. "You? _You're _Head Boy?" Her mouth hung open in surprise to express what words could not.

"Miss Granger, what kind of greeting is that?" McGonagall asked.

Hermione turned to look at her. In her shock she had forgotten she was there.

"I'm sorry, Headmistress," Hermione managed.

"Yes, well, you will be the two representatives of the school this year. I'll need you two to get along," McGonagall said.

Malfoy opened his mouth to say something when she cut him off.

"I need you to come to my office after the Sorting," she said briskly. "Both of you. We have some things to discuss."

She didn't give either of them another chance to argue before she turned away to direct some of the first years towards the building.

Hermione wished the floor beneath her would swallow her up. Why did Head Boy have to be _Malfoy _of all people? This year was already heavy with the absence of Harry and Ron, now she'd have to deal with Malfoy as well. Luck was not a friend of hers.

"You seem surprised it's me, Granger," he said.

Hermione turned and saw he was still standing there. A smirk played on his face. He was drinking in every uncomfortable moment that Hermione was experiencing.

"Of course I'm surprised. This is a big accomplishment. People work hard to get here. You don't work hard. You have everything handed to you because you're a pompous arse," she grumbled. "You don't deserve it."

"For the smartest witch of your age you seem a bit misguided," he replied coolly. "Even McGonagall sees my potential. She did pick me, after all. I know you wouldn't disrespect a professor, the Headmistress at that."

Hermione bit her lip at his words. Her tongue was tied; he had a point. Who was she to question one of the most powerful witches that Hogwarts had to offer? She frowned as a realization clicked in her mind. She knew that she had e_very _right to question it because she was also one of the strongest witches that Hogwarts had.

She still wondered what McGonagall was playing at. Did she really think that keeping a Death Eater and member of the Order in the same place would create a balance in the school? Or was she hoping that they would eliminate each other and the rest of the school wouldn't know?

"Well, I'll leave you to your zoning out," Malfoy sneered.

She came back to Earth to watch him. She wanted to have the last word, but she found her tongue wouldn't cooperate. Malfoy lost interest and turned his attention to some nearby first years and started barking out orders to them. Hermione rolled her eyes and took the opportunity to escape. While she planned to make the school better, he only wanted to make it worse.

She slowly began to follow the crowds. She couldn't help but feel numb inside as she traveled. Head Girl was a position that she had yearned for from the very first day she set foot in Hogwarts. Now that she had achieved it, the prize was bittersweet, never like the pure ecstasy she had imagined it would be. She had never counted on Malfoy being in the picture. Ideally, her happy place was at the head position with Malfoy never existing.

It was nice to think about, because reality was overly cruel to her.

"Congratulations on Head Girl," a soft voice said from beside her suddenly.

Hermione turned to see Luna Lovegood's wayward face peering at her. "Thank you," she said. "How was your summer, Luna?"

The girl tipped her head to one side, the wispy hair attached fell down, pencil straight as it hung from her scalp. "It was alright, the Bumbly Woes were in the garden again."

Hermione stared at her for a minute, in no mood to decipher her words as good or bad. "Sounds adventurous," she decided finally.

The odd girl nodded before asking, "How was your summer?"

"Lonely," Hermione replied instantly.

"Don't fret, Harry and Ron will be back before you know it," Luna offered.

Hermione hung her head. She knew it wouldn't work that way. Time seemed to only go by slower when you yearned for it to speed up.

"Do you know who the Head Boy is?" Luna asked, sensing that Hermione wanted to change the subject.

Hermione shook her head before hurrying away into the crowds. She was ashamed that Malfoy was Head Boy. She was disgusted that she would have to share a title and living quarters with him. Although her fellow Gryffindor students would find out who it was soon enough, she didn't want to be the one they heard it from.

Hermione searched desperately for Ginny; she was the one friend that she knew she could confide in.

* * *

Despite her searching, she couldn't find her friend in the crowds. Sighing in defeat, Hermione made her way to the Great Hall. She sat down at the very end of the Gryffindor table, feeling numb from head to toe. Never before had she felt so out of it on the first day back at Hogwarts. Maybe she had a right to feel this way.

This wasn't an ordinary year after all.

There were high stakes this time around, made even more dangerous by the constant reminder that even though she was surrounded by friends, she was alone.

Neville and Seamus sat down across from her suddenly.

"Hey, Hermione. Congrats on Head Girl," Seamus offered.

Neville nodded in agreement.

"Thanks," she replied dully.

"Blimey, Hermione. Did you hear that the Head Boy is Malfoy?" Neville asked.

Hermione glanced up at him. "I know. McGonagall already let me know."

"I feel bad for you," Seamus said shaking his head.

"I know this is usually what Ron what offer you, but since he's not here, I want you to know that if Malfoy tries to harm you in anyway, we'll hex him for you," Neville said.

Hermione smiled at him. His words were meant as kind but they came as upsetting to her. She was a girl, but she was no ordinary girl. She was more than capable of watching her own back. At least, everyone in the Order seemed to think so.

"Thanks, but I can take care of myself," she said finally.

Parvati (who had sat down beside Hermione at the time Neville mentioned Malfoy), leaned over. "At least he's hot, and you'll share a shower facility," she whispered in Hermione's ear.

Hermione's face twisted in disgust. Maybe this year would turn out to be harder than she thought.


	3. Chapter 3

The second that Draco stepped off of the train and onto the familiar ground of Hogwarts, he felt the power of his new position going to his head. He knew that he had complete control over every single person in the massive crowd and there was nothing they could do about it. The feeling was even better when he saw the reaction on Granger's face.

He smirked as he thought about it. How had she felt in that moment? Did she feel betrayed for McGonagall's choice? Angry that he was matching her outstanding achievements step for step even though he represented everything she hated? The list was endless and he hoped that he felt each and every one of them.

After Hermione dashed off into the thickest part of the crowd, Blaise found his way to Draco.

"Looks like you already upset the Gryffindor Princess," he mocked.

"What a shame," Draco said rolling his eyes. "As if anyone cares."

Pansy made her way through the crowd as she took her place at Draco's hip once again. Splotches of makeup from her tears were apparent on her face still. She didn't seem to notice as she smiled at Draco.

"Are you gonna show me the Head Room, Draco?" she asked flirtatiously.

Draco groaned in his throat at the sound of her voice. This girl wouldn't take a hint if it hit her upside her head. "No, Pansy."

She looked up at him, shocked. "What do you mean "no"?" she asked, her thick lips parted to exaggerate her shock.

"Simple. I'm not interested," he said.

Draco had a lot on his plate this year, too much to have to deal with Pansy yet again. The girl knew what his mission was, but that never ceased to stop her. She was selfish, that was one of the hundreds of reasons why he was sick to death of her.

Her eyes widened. "But you are, you always are!"

"No," he insisted, anger in his voice. "What is so hard to understand about that?"

Finally her shock changed to anger. Her features twisted in her rage. "I hope you know you have to live with that horrid mudblood Granger all year," she ranted.

Blaise's eyes lit up with amusement. "Granger's Head Girl, eh? Makes her a bit more valuable if you know what I mean."

Draco gave him a dark look before he pushed Pansy off of him and leaned over to Blaise. "Get rid of Pansy for me."

Blaise looked at the tiny girl, lust in his eyes. "You're very pretty today."

Her face lit up instantly and she was all over Blaise. Draco took the opportunity to escape. He ran his long fingers through his blond hair as his long legs pulled him through the crowd. Thoughts echoed in his mind. Blaise's voice seemed to be the loudest.

Of course the mudblood was valuable, the Dark Lord wanted her.

As the easiest-to-find link to Harry, she had been targeted over the summer by the Death Eaters. Draco was sent by the Dark Lord himself to his last year of Hogwarts not to learn, but to complete a mission. He was to be the one to capture her and bring her in. The plan was simple. By making her Head Girl, McGonagall was sealing the witch's fate without even knowing she had done so.

Draco smiled to himself at the thought. The task would be easy and it would give him a higher rank among the Death Eaters. Hermione was alone this year. He noticed Potter and Weasley's absence on the train. He wondered where they were, and why she wasn't with them. She seemed a lot more sullen than she had in years passed. He wondered what made her attitude so bitter. It was almost as if they had abandoned her. He noticed a lot had changed about her in the five second interaction they had shared.

She was glum, but as determined as she ever had been. The poor girl seemed to be delusional; she actually thought she was capable of protecting Hogwarts on her own. He'd admit she was smart- she was the only one that bested him in every class- but there were more followers of darkness than light.

* * *

Before the Sorting began, Draco found his way to the Slytherin's table between Blaise and Goyle. Blaise had a satisfied smile on his face and had ditched Pansy earlier. Draco was glad for it. The only thing the girl was good for was an occasional shag. Even that was losing its value.

Draco scanned the room for a moment, looking for the whereabouts of the Head Girl. He noticed Granger sitting at the end of the Gryffindor table. She looked so out of place without her boyfriends to protect her. Longbottom and a few others were trying to engage her in conversation but she didn't seem too interested.

She sighed and wiped a lock of hair out of her eyes as she continued to stare down at the table. Draco studied her for a moment. He noticed she had developed not only her intellect, but her appearance had changed as well. Her once thick, knotted, bushy brown hair looked sleek as it fell around her gentle heart-shaped face. She had lost her buck teeth and slimmed down a considerable amount so that her feminine curves were noticeable even through her thick robes.

McGonagall began to speak, suddenly calling for their attention. Draco cast one last glance at Hermione. It didn't matter how much her looks developed. Her blood was filthy. She would pay for helping Potter- Voldemort would see to it.


	4. Chapter 4

After the Sorting, Ginny found her way to Hermione as the witch began to make her way to McGonagall's office.

"I heard the news," she said. "Tough luck."

Hermione looked at her as they left the Great Hall. "Of all the people she could've chosen she picked Malfoy. What does McGonagall think she's up to? I mean she's in the Order too. She knows perfectly well what Malfoy represents."

"Maybe this is her way of keeping an eye on Malfoy," Ginny suggested. "Maybe she thinks if he has something to keep his mind busy, he won't be as prone to doing whatever it is he's planning; especially with you keeping a watchful eye on him."

"I can understand that, but why'd she have to pick _me _to be the babysitter?" Hermione asked exasperated.

"What better babysitter than another member of the Order?" Ginny said.

"You have a point," Hermione said though she still didn't like the idea. "I'm not looking forward to working with that prat."

"If you ever need me, I'd be more than willing to help you when you need it," Ginny offered.

Hermione smiled weakly at her. "Thank you. Just know that chances are I'll take you up on that."

Ginny smiled back, "I'm expecting it. Hey, do you know where the Head Dorm is yet?"

Hermione shook her head. "No, I gotta talk to McGonagall still. She's gonna tell us everything we need to know."

"You _and _Malfoy at the same time?" Ginny asked.

Hermione nodded slowly.

"Good luck, Girl," Ginny said. "I feel like I can't say that enough."

"For this situation you probably can't."

Ginny offered her a sympathetic smile.

Hermione looked away and didn't speak as she split away from her friend to go down the dark corridor. The noises and bright feeling of happiness and warmth that radiated from the Great Hall was evaporating away as she traveled in the opposite direction of it. The hall around her was turning darker, the air itself colder. She shivered at the feeling.

She waited at the base of the staircase for it to swing back over to her. When it did, she set a foot on it and before she was settled, it begun to swing away again. The sudden movement startled her, and Hermione toppled backwards away from it.

She couldn't regain her balance and her weight slammed into someone. With force they toppled to the floor. Hermione groaned with pain as the sharp feeling echoed up from where her elbows had smacked into the hard ground.

"Get…off…me…" a voice grumbled from beneath her.

Hermione shot to her feet instantly as she recognized Malfoy's voice. He was wincing, his anger seething at her from every twisted feature on his face. Hermione knew he had hit his head when he fell and the part of her that believed that all people were good wanted to see if he was okay.

"Look what you did, you stupid mudblood," he spat as he climbed to his feet and brushed himself off as if her touch had left a layer of grim on his robes. "You should really keep your hands, and your arse, to yourself."

Hermione's desire to help him was gone. "It was an accident," she defended herself. "I wouldn't have landed on you if you weren't behind me. What were you doing out here anyways?" she added irritated.

"Uh, same thing as you, remember?" he asked sarcastically. He pointed a long skinny finger upwards. "McGonagall wants to talk to _me _too. After that whole faux pas I'm really questioning your intelligence, Granger."

"There's nothing wrong with me. It was the stairs," she spat back, determined to not have him break her.

"Maybe it's your hair. If you tried brushing it every now and then I bet it wouldn't tangle into a blindfold and trip you over the bloody stairs," he grumbled.

Hermione grunted in anger.

Draco only smiled. He enjoyed being able to get a reaction out of her. It was so easy, much easier than taunting Potter and Weasley. It was almost fun.

"Your boyfriends abandon you this year, I see?" he asked. "I guess they finally came to their senses, huh?"

Hermione gritted her teeth as she waited for the stairs to swing back to her. If she let him get to her, he'd win. If there was any way she was going to get through the year sharing living quarters with him, then she couldn't let him best her on the first day. The stairs were slowly coming back, Hermione was willing them to go faster with her mind.

"How dare you ignore me?" he asked.

Hermione steeled her shoulders as the stairs approached her feet. It was more than easy to ignore him. Before she could step onto them, she felt hands pull her back. Malfoy grabbed her and slammed her to the wall, his hands pinned her wrists to the wall on either side of her head as he pressed her body roughly to the hard stone behind her.

Her heart was pounding and her mouth was dry as she stared back at him. She was perplexed, unsure if she was angry or scared.

"You. Are. Filth," he spat in her face. "When a Pureblood like me takes the time to spit two words your way, we expect a prompt reply."

Hermione decided she was angry. "Fuck you, Malfoy. How's that for a prompt reply?"

"You need to learn respect," he said raising a pale eyebrow.

Hermione gritted her teeth as she felt him push her wrists harder into the rough stone behind her."Let me go," she demanded.

"No," he said flatly.

"You're a prat, Malfoy."

He glared at her, gray eyes smoldering with rage. She stared back at him, her chocolate colored eyes sang with defiance. He bent towards her so that their faces were an inch apart. They had never been that close together before and now that they were they could feel the electricity of their hatred spurn in the air.

He collected her tiny wrists in one hand as he reached into his robe with the other. He pulled out his wand and held it to her throat. For a long moment he didn't say a word. Hermione's heart was pounding in her chest as the anger grabbed a hold of her. His grip on her tightened and the blood flow to her hands was cut off. She couldn't reach her wand in her robes. She was beginning to grow angrier for each moment he kept her pinned. It didn't matter because she knew there was no way she could get away from him on her own.

"I could kill you right now," he said, his voice was a soft sing-song whisper.

"You wouldn't do anything to muck up your Head Boy position," she spat.

"You want to test me?" he asked.

She glared at him, in the back of her mind she considered spitting on him to wipe that smug look right off of his face.

"Crucio," he whispered.

Instantly pain shot through Hermione. She tried to open her mouth to scream but Malfoy put a hand over her mouth to stifle the sound. Needles felt as if they were entering through every pore in her skin. She looked at Malfoy through eyes glazed with pain. She saw he was smiling.

The moment was pure ectasy to Draco. His entire life he had been bested by the witch in front of him. It was nice to know that she was human too. It was nice to know that at least she could suffer if her circumstances ever turned unsavory. Finally he broke the curse. Hermione's tensed muscles went limp as she panted for breath. She was glad he had removed his spell, but part of her couldn't believe he had cast it in the first place. Malfoy moved his hand off of her mouth.

"You're weak alone. Our situation would go much smoother if you obeyed me, mudblood," he breathed. "Wouldn't want something to happen, yeah?"

Her eyes glittered with confusion. All she wanted was for him to drop her, but he wouldn't do it. His grip was like stone. She couldn't break it, she could only hope that the would tire of threatening her. She glared at him, hoping the angrier she got, the more likely he'd drop her. She had never really looked at him before, she hated doing it now. He was beautiful, even though she knew he was ugly inside. His face was perfect under his silvery hair. Hermione remembered Parvati's suggestion and cringed.

"You're still threatening me?" she asked pushing the thought of Parvati away.

"Depends," he said.

"On what?" she growled.

He gave no response, merely pulled his lip into a snarl. "You think you're just so great don't you?"

"I'm better than you," she spat.

"We'll see," he replied.

His eyes studied her for a moment longer. Suddenly he dropped her and walked quickly towards the stairs as he began to walk towards McGonagall's office. Hermione lie crumpled against the wall, wondering what had just happened.

* * *

**Author's note:**

**I'm not sure if the pace of this story is too slow or too fast. I thought I'd start it with some jealousy on Malfoy's part and bitterness on Hermione's. Things will change as the story progresses. Leave me a review telling me what you think so far. Thanks to everyone that does.**

**To the people that have already left reviews, I'd just like to say, thank you lovelies for your support :)**

**'Til the next update!**


	5. Chapter 5

Hermione picked herself up and stood pressed against the wall for a minute. Malfoy had threatened her. One day in the same school and he was already at her throat. Sure, he had done it before when she had been with Harry and Ron, but never had his threats come to physical contact. That was a first, and she didn't like it one bit.

She knew that coming to Hogwarts to defend it would mean a lot of uncomfortable situations. She had known it would be a possibility he'd confront her because he knew what she stood for. He knew that she was vulnerable when she was alone. Hermione let out a scoff of disbelief. If he wanted to play rough, she was more than capable of it. She wasn't going to back down just because he said she should be submissive. If anything, she planned to be more defiant.

She heard the light click as the stairs came back to rest a few feet away. Hermione-remembering she had to meet McGonagall- rushed to catch them. She carefully stepped up them as the bottom swung to its next destination. Then staircases later and she was approaching the Gargoyle that guarded the Headmistress' office. It was already partially open, and Hermione knew that Malfoy was inside. She swallowed back her uncertainty and traveled onward.

"So nice of you to join us, Granger," McGonagall said.

Hermione dipped her head, embarrassed. "Sorry I'm late."

"As I was telling Mr. Malfoy here, you two will be in charge of patrolling the hallways together at least three times a week."

"Why together? Can't we patrol with the Prefects?" Hermione asked.

McGonagall raised an eyebrow. "I hope you're joking, Miss Granger."

Hermione bit her lip, frustrated. "Yes, of course, Headmistress."

"I'll give you a list of things you need to do each week," McGonagall said, passing an identical piece of parchment to each of them.

"You two also have identical class schedules this year," she said.

Now it was Malfoy's turn to get upset. He looked at her. "She's gonna be in my living quarters and all of my classes?"

McGonagall nodded. "Yes. If it's a problem, Mr. Malfoy, we could arrange for someone else to be Head Boy."

Malfoy was silent for a moment as he gritted his teeth. "No, that won't be necessary," he said finally.

McGonagall dipped her head. "Good. Now let me show you to the Head dorms."

Neither of them spoke as they began to follow the old witch down the flights of stairs. Malfoy's strides were long and he stayed a pace behind McGonagall. Hermione –not wanting to walk beside Malfoy- stayed a few more paces behind. Malfoy turned once to sneer at her and she had to refrain herself from wanting to hex him. Finally they came to a rest beside a portrait of a skinny woman in a black formal dress.

McGonagall turned to look at them. "This is the entrance to the Head Dorms. The password is hippogriff. Don't forget to follow your weekly list of activities. If you notice, your first patrol is tonight. Do either of you have any questions?"

Hermione had a lot of questions. She wanted to know why McGonagall had picked Malfoy. She wanted to know why Malfoy had to be everywhere that she was. She wanted to know why the Order didn't just send her to look for Horcruxes with Harry and Ron. She knew that none of them pertained to the Head duties.

"Alright, good luck, the two of you," she said and departed down the hallway.

Malfoy didn't look at Hermione as he said, "Hippogriff," and moved the painting out of the way. Hermione followed slowly behind. She felt as if she was walking into the lion's den by going into a dorm with just her and Malfoy. She tucked her paper into her pocket and set a hand on her wand. She was prepared just in case.

Malfoy muttered another spell and a fire lit up the fireplace. Hermione looked around in wonder. The common room was adorned with swathes of gold and red for Gryffindor and green and silver for Slytherin. The couch had a small coffee table in front of it and comfortable chairs lined one side. She could see a staircase that branched off from each side of the common room and she knew those led to their bedrooms. Towards the back of this room was a small kitchen and past that was a hallway that she assumed led to the bathroom.

"Listen up, Granger, there's gonna be some rules for our situation," Malfoy said from behind her.

Hermione turned to glare at him. "You can make whatever rules you want. This is my home too and if I want to do something I can."

"You are to _never _enter my room understood?" he asked. "And if I'm in the bathroom, you're forbidden to come in."

Hermione scoffed. "You're so full of yourself. Maybe if you'd take some time off of marveling at yourself, you'd be able to compete with me in class."

"I'm warning you, mudblood, you don't want to mess with me," he said.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Look. We have to live together. We'll ignore each other unless it's for Head duties. I don't care if you think you're strong because you caught me off guard with a crucio. If you try to hex me again, I will hurt you."

"You can't threaten me," Malfoy said, shocked.

Hermione shrugged. "Why not? You did it to me."

Malfoy gritted his teeth. "Whatever. Just meet me back here in an hour to start patrol."

Hermione whisked away on her heels without another word and ascended the stairs on the side with the gold and red. Malfoy stood in the middle of the common room, watching her. Two very conflicting thoughts ran through his mind. He wasn't sure which one he wanted to act on.

When Hermione made it to the top of the stairs, she opened her door and looked at her room in amazement. It was completely red and gold, a Gryffindor banner hung from the ceiling above a bed with red, silk blankets. There was a gold carpet lining the floor and a dresser with a vanity mirror on the other side of the room. Hermione let a small smile play on her face as she observed it.

She made her way to her closet and looked for her trunk. It was sitting at the back, locked the way she had left it. Hermione was glad that she liked her room, she knew she was going to be spending a lot of time here. Hermione made her way to the back of the closet and pulled her trunk out. She began to pull out her books and robes and organized the room just right.

She brushed a lock of her brown hair from her eyes as she looked around with a satisfied smile on her face.

"I don't want to wait all bloody day for you, Granger," a voice called angrily from downstairs.

Hermione sighed and the smile dropped. Without a word she made her way downstairs to the common room.

"Let's just get this over with," he grumbled as soon as he saw her.

Neither of them spoke as they headed out to the hallways. They kept to opposite sides of the hall as they walked. In the time they had talked to McGonagall and settled into their rooms, the rest of Hogwarts had gone to bed. Every corridor was oddly silent and still. The thought made Hermione shiver. She really didn't like the idea of being alone with Malfoy. Thanks to McGonagall, she didn't have a choice.

"I guess we should check the Great Hall first," she said.

Malfoy grumbled in response.

She took that as a yes and made her way down the halls. Malfoy stayed behind. He studied her as she moved. He noticed how much prep and bounce she had in each step. The uniform skirt made the way she swung her hips more apparent. Even after he threatened her, she was still the way she always was. It hadn't even fazed her.

Hermione noticed that Malfoy was lagging behind. She rolled her eyes though part of her was still wary of him casting a curse at her from behind. She began to sing, hoping that at least if anyone was around, they'd hear her in case Malfoy tried to hurt her again.

Malfoy didn't speed up his pace. He was surprised to hear her sing, surprised that despite his efforts, she wasn't broken. She wasn't even cracked. He pursed his lips.

"Let's check the astronomy tower," he suggested, trying to break her song.

Hermione nodded and to his relief stopped singing.

They traveled down the halls and Malfoy kept an eye on her. He knew that right now he could cast an Imperio curse on her. He could get her to willingly follow him off school grounds and into Voldemort's waiting grasp. His mission would be done in an hour. Yet, when he looked at her, he knew he didn't want to do that.

If he cursed her, then he wouldn't be able to see her true emotions as he captured her. He wouldn't be able to see her fight and cry. He knew the Dark Lord wouldn't be happy waiting, but he was. It would be the perfect thing to break the Gryffindor Princess he hoped.

Finally they made it the door that opened up to the field that led to the astronomy tower. Hermione was prepared to go, when something suddenly stopped her. She looked up and took a step backwards into the darkness of the corridor they had just come from.

"What the hell are you doing?" Malfoy couldn't help but ask.

"Let's check the astronomy tower next time," Hermione said, her voice was panicked.

Malfoy took a step towards her with eyes narrowed. "Why? What are you hiding?"

She swallowed and took another step backwards. "Nothing! I gotta go!" she said.

She didn't wait for Malfoy's response as she ran down the corridor back towards the direction of their dark Head dorm.


	6. Chapter 6

Draco stood staring after Hermione and she disappeared into the darkness. He couldn't help but wonder what had spooked her. What was she hiding? Did it have something to do with the astronomy tower?

He had to find out.

He strode out across the field. Overhead the full moon leaked its brilliant light over the long grass. He shivered in the slight chill of the night. He hurried onward, desperate to see what had caused the Gryffindor princess to pull a 180. He made it to the bottom of the stairs and quickly made his way to the top.

A small smirk played on his lips as he almost made it to the observation room. If she was hiding something in here, he was sure to find it out. Of course he would use it to humiliate her. The thought that part of her was devious made him alight with superiority inside. If she was hiding something than that meant she wasn't as perfect as everyone thought she was.

Finally he reached the room at the top. He was nearly giddy as he waited to see anything that would help him figure out her reaction. That feeling dissolved away as he realized that there was nothing up there. The observation room was empty, the only thing present was the soft light that filtered in from outside.

For a minute he strode deeper into it, looking behind every support pillar and in every crevice that someone or something could possibly hide. Darkness was the only thing that greeted him. Draco's frown deepened. For the first time in his life he could say that he was honestly confused, and part of him was disappointed as well.

With a discontented sigh he made his way back out of the room and down the stairs. He scanned the field as he crossed it back to the building, looking to see if there was anything he had missed on his initial walkthrough. Everything looked sincere. The nagging curiosity made him wonder once again what had made her react that way.

He pushed the thought from his mind. There was no point fussing over something that he would never know. Maybe she wasn't hiding anything at all. Perhaps she had just had to go to the bathroom or suddenly felt unsafe traveling out of Hogwarts with him. A smirk lit up his face at the thought. Maybe she had been right to run that way.

Draco made his way back through the dungeons and the hallways; his long strides made the trip almost effortless. He made it back to the Head Dorm and mumbled the password to the sleeping painting. The woman on it grumbled and allowed him to pass.

Draco had expected to return to a dark common room but instead there was a healthy fire going in the fireplace. Hermione was curled up on the couch, a pillow clutched tight in her hands. At the sound of his entry, her dark eyes flicked to him, unreadable emotion clouded her face.

"Wanna tell me what the Hell that was about, Granger?" he asked her.

She swallowed heavily and tossed the pillow aside though she didn't speak.

"We have a job to do. When we do patrol we're supposed to do the whole thing, not half of the bloody castle. I can't have you dragging me down like this," Draco spat. "If you don't want your Head position, that's fine, just don't make me suffer for it."

"I wasn't feeling good," Hermione said, her teeth chewing gently on her bottom lip.

Draco stared at her for a long moment. He observed her carefully. Over many years of practice, he had become good at judging people's emotions and thoughts by the look on their face. He shook his head at her words.

"You're lying."

Hermione looked at him with real panic in her eyes. She swallowed heavily before she spoke. "I'm going to bed."

Before he could say another word, she rushed upstairs to her room. She moved so fast that her long brown hair streamed out behind her. Draco stayed where he was, staring after her. The doubts he had had in the hallway were gone now. He had never seen her look so uncertain and nervous. She _was_ hiding something.

The thought stayed on his mind as he made his way to his room. He tried thinking of ways to discover her secret, but not knowing what it was, came up dry. Frustrated, he opened his door. He noticed Pansy on his bed. He hated dealing with her but he was always open for a good shag. It would be the perfect thing to keep Granger off of his mind; if only for a little while.

* * *

**Author's note:**

**This was a shorter chapter, I know and I apologize. I will make the next ones longer. I felt it was important to write this situation from Draco's point of view. Leave me a review with your thoughts if you'd like.**

**I'd like to thank the people that have already left reviews. I really appreciate all of your support, Lovelies!**

**Until the next update!**

**~Wolfshine**


	7. Chapter 7

A few hours later, Hermione rolled over in her lavish bed. Sleep seemed so hard to come by in the lonely night. She felt inconceivably hot; her sweat matted her dark hair to her forehead. Her fingers clutched at her bed sheets as she tried her best to go to sleep.

Her efforts were futile. Her body was distracted as was her mind. She couldn't believe how close Malfoy had gotten to discovering her secret. She hadn't thought the close time together would result in that. Her entire life had been devoted to hiding it. Keeping it from the watchful eye of everyone she encountered.

Nobody could know; it was a simple rule.

Harry and Ron-even Ginny- didn't suspect a thing…but Malfoy was catching on. Hermione gritted her teeth, the feeling in her made sleep impossible. She hopped out of bed and made her way to her wardrobe. She pulled on jeans and a hoodie- the feeling of her muggle clothes comforted her.

She tucked her wand into her pocket and very carefully opened her door. As quietly as she could, she made her way downstairs. She peered around the corner, searching carefully for signs of Malfoy. Satisfied when she saw nothing, she made her way to the portrait hole and slid outside.

* * *

When she came back, the sun was on the horizon line. She ached all over as she clumsily made her way to the shower. She was muddy; her feet left a trail behind her as she moved. She didn't notice it as she made it to the shower. She was quick to clean herself, ridding her skin of all the dirt that she had acquired. When she was clean she hurried to dry off and with a towel she rushed back to the common room to clean up the mud trail she had left.

She put a spell on the towel and bathroom to clean up all signs of the residue. She hung the towel back up and rushed to her room before Malfoy got up. She gathered her books up in her bag and made her way outside to the hallway beyond.

Her first class was Advanced Herbology. It wasn't a bad class to her and she couldn't wait to get there. She missed the strict schedule of a Hogwart's routine. When she arrived she noticed that the class was made of sixth and seventh year students. She was thrilled to notice she shared the class with Ginny.

Hermione made her way over to her.

"Hey," she said breathlessly as she set her bag down.

"Hey, Hermione," Ginny said amicably.

"How are you?" Hermione asked.

Ginny smiled. "Good so far. What about you? Settling into the Head Dorm well?"

"The Head Dorm is great," Hermione replied.

"But?"

"I don't trust Malfoy," Hermione stated.

Ginny shook her head. "No surprise there. What did he do?"

"I ran into him on the way to McGonagall's yesterday. He seemed more bitter than usual," Hermione said.

She had decided to leave out the part about Malfoy's Crucio. Ginny was her best friend but she didn't want to give her unnecessary things to worry about.

"All you can really do is ignore him," Ginny said. "If he hexes you, let McGonagall know and he'll be kicked from his Head position in a heartbeat."

Hermione thought about it. That was a possibility, but so was McGonagall not believing her. Hermione was positive she could handle the situation herself. She stayed silent, not wanting to argue the topic anymore. They heard the door clang open suddenly and saw Malfoy make his way inside. Hermione watched him carefully. As soon as he noticed her, he glared.

"What are you looking at, Granger" he scoffed.

Hermione narrowed her eyes. She knew that wasn't the question he wanted to ask. As Professor Sprout lectured, the group fell silent. Hermione could feel someone watching her as she took diligent notes. She glanced up to see Malfoy's gray eyes focused on her. He was watching her every move with malicious intent. She swallowed roughly. She knew that tonight they had another patrol to do together. She knew he would unleash that emotion on her.

When class was over, she couldn't wait to leave. It was an odd feeling, something she had never had to deal with before. She didn't bother saying goodbye to Ginny as she rushed to her next class. She didn't know why she was hurrying; in her mind she knew she couldn't escape Malfoy. He was in all of her classes…and her dorm room.

Hermione sped to potions despite herself. She settled into a seat at the front of the room and Malfoy sat in the seat a few feet away. Snape decided that since they were seventh years they were to work alone on their potions. He read off a list of ingredients and told them to get to work. They were to brew an anti-paralysis potion. Hermione knew the recipe; she had brewed it at least three times in her past. She knew the steps by heart.

She could hear a vicious chopping as Malfoy worked on his potion. Her heart fluttered at the thought of being alone with him later. She thought carefully and realized that she had an option ahead of her. If she botched her potion, she could be taken to the hospital wing and hopefully avoid Malfoy tonight.

She bit her lip. She knew that if she purposefully messed it up she could get a failing grade. Never before had she messed up a potion. Everyone would probably guess that she did it on purpose. She knew she didn't have a choice. She couldn't let him know her secret and this was the only way out of it.

She took a bit of taro root and held her breath as she held the bit of white root over the bubbling purple liquid in the cauldron. She held her breath and dropped it in. The sound of the explosion was near deafening.


	8. Chapter 8

The sound of the explosion nearly made Draco's heart stop in his chest. It was so loud…so unexpected. When he looked up, his jaw dropped as he realized it was Hermione's potion that had reacted so violently. She was screaming as the liquid began to eat through her robes and skin. She quickly shed her thick robe and a couple of students were quick aid her in her escort to the Hospital Wing to treat her burned flesh.

Nobody in the class seemed to have a thing to say after watching that, they were too stunned, even the Slytherins. Snape stood at the front of the class with his mouth open, and no words to accompany it. When his shock wore off, Draco merely smiled. He knew exactly why she had done it. Hermione Granger was too clever to accidentally mess up a potion, she had done it on purpose.

He knew it was to avoid him.

"Class dismissed," Snape muttered suddenly and went in the direction Hermione's escort had led her.

Draco didn't move from his spot as he stared at the ingredients that he had laid out for his own potion. With a quick movement he pushed them away onto the floor and moved to leave the class. Blaise was beside him in an instant. Instantly he caught the smile plastered on Draco's face.

"The Mudblood got what was coming to her, huh?" Blaise asked.

Draco shook his head. "You have no idea."

Blaise was confused. "What do you mean?"

Draco looked around and waited for their chattering classmates to pass them before he spoke. "Granger's been acting weird since the first night we did patrol," he replied.

"She's always weird. Even Potter and Weasley realized that." Blaise scoffed.

"No. She's hiding something from me," Draco said to him.

"What?" Blaise asked.

Draco shook his head. "I have no idea. She's been avoiding me since last night."

"Think she knows what you're gonna do to her?" Blaise asked.

Draco smirked. "Don't be thick, Zabini. Of course she knows that just like I know she's in the Order."

They were silent.

"How do you plan on finding out what she's hiding?" Blaise asked.

"I'm gonna start watching her a lot closer from now on," Draco said. "We share living quarters. It shouldn't be too hard to find out what her secret is."

"You sound as if you're a little obsessed with her," Blaise pointed out.

Draco scoffed. "You're an idiot, Zabini."

"It's not my fault that you frown on Mudbloods, even the fine ones," he said smirking.

Draco rolled his eyes.

"You can't tell me you haven't noticed her," he said.

Draco glared at him. "So what if I have? What does it matter?"

"I think you might be making up the whole "secret" thing as a way of keeping an eye on her without people being suspicious," he said. "I think you have a thing for her."

Draco pulled out his wand. "Don't. Ever. Say. That. Again."

"Hostility doesn't make me believe it any less," Blaise said, smile still plastered to his face.

Draco huffed and reluctantly tucked his wand away. "You can believe what you want. I know what I saw. Besides, I know you saw the explosion she just caused. Why are you doubting me?"

"I think she just doesn't trust being in a dark corridor with you alone," Blaise said. "She's too clever for you to just nab her like you think you're going to do."

Draco gritted his teeth. "I know that."

"Pansy's been looking for you by the way," Blaise said.

Draco rolled his eyes. "Bloody hell! Tell her to take a hike. And I know it was you that gave her the head password. I've already had to go get it changed, don't give it to her again. I have too much to take care of to be bothered by her anymore."

Blaise smiled cockily at Draco. "I can't believe you're denying Pansy. Suspicions are building."

Draco gave him a dark look. "She's used goods, worn out. Of course I don't want her anymore. I can shag anyone in the school."

"Granger included?" Blaise asked with a glint in his eye.

Draco growled in his throat before storming off down the corridor alone.

* * *

When Hermione's shock wore off she was in the Hospital Wing, a wrapping on each arm and a severe pain in her chest. Hours had passed since the explosion but her mind had been too wrapped in the pain to notice anything besides it. Madam Pomfrey had been quick to apply a salve to the worst of her damage. Hermione relaxed against the bed, eyes closed and teeth gritted as she bared her pain.

Madam Pomfrey rushed over to her. "How are you feeling?"

"In pain," Hermione said.

"That's to be expected," she said. "How did this happen?"

"It was an accident," Hermione lied. "I mixed up roots that I was chopping for a potion."

Madam Pomfrey looked at her for a long moment. Hermione could see that she didn't believe a word that the young witch said. For reasons unknown, she didn't question it, but instead tottered back over to her desk.

"She doesn't want to see you," Ginny's voice said suddenly.

Hermione forced herself to sit up. She angled her face towards the sound. She could see Ginny's flowing red hair as she stood with her back to Hermione.

"I need to talk to her," a malicious voice grunted in response.

"Madam Pomfrey!" Ginny called.

The nurse hurried over to them. "What's the problem here?"

"Please tell him to leave. He's here to stress Hermione out," Ginny said.

"I need you to leave please Mr. Malfoy," Madam Pomfrey said.

Hermione's gut twisted at the sound of his name. She relaxed against the bed and tested her sore skin. She was glad that she was a quick healer, she'd only have to stay in the hospital wing until tonight.


	9. Chapter 9

That night Draco had to do the patrol alone since Hermione was still restricted to the hospital wing. His temper seethed from him as he walked. He had punished two first years already who really hadn't deserved it. The act made him feel slightly better, but not by much.

He didn't know why the whole Hermione situation was upsetting him so much, but it was. Never before had he been so confused by someone. He wanted so desperately to know what it was that she was hiding. If he found out he could use it against her. Use it to make her willingly go to Voldemort.

Instead he was left in the dark. He was to figure it out on his own. All he could think of was his trip to the hospital wing. It would've been the perfect opportunity to make her talk (she'd have no excuses to escape from him) but Madam Pomfrey had forbidden him to go in thanks to the Weaselette's mouth. He thought to himself for a moment.

That had been hours ago. Surely the red-headed nuisance would've moved on by now. Even if the hospital wing was closed all it would take would be a simple imperio curse to allow him passage into the wing. With a smile on his pale face he made his way through the castle to the hospital wing. Anyone he ran into along the way was faced with his wrath.

Finally he made it to the hospital wing entrance. It was dark inside, the light from the small window allowed enough light inside to illuminate the shapes of the beds along the wall. Draco carefully looked around for any signs of Madam Pomfrey. She wasn't at her desk, or anywhere in sight.

Draco smiled widely as he crept into the hospital wing. He walked slowly past each bed, his eyes straining in the darkness as he realized that they were empty. He was looking for the distinguishing bushy hair that marked the presence of Hermione. When he reached the other side, he realized that she wasn't here, nobody was.

The frown re-appeared. When had she been released? And where had she gone? Realization dawned on him almost instantly. He realized that she probably went to the Gryffindor common room to rest because his presence earlier rattled her. Inside he was kicking himself, the rage he felt directed at himself. He kicked the empty bed that he stood beside bitterly.

How was it that she was successfully able to stay one step ahead of him? There had to be a way to catch her. Even as smart as she was she had to make a mistake sometimes. No one was perfect.

"What are you doing in here, dude?" a familiar voice asked.

Draco turned to see Blaise entering the hospital wing.

Blaise didn't wait for him to speak. He grinned wide, a cheeky laugh spilling out. "You were looking for Granger weren't you?"

"No," Draco said pushing past him.

"Liar," Blaise said laughing.

"What are you doing here?" Draco asked crossly.

"Looking for you. I stopped by the head dorms but you weren't there so I figured you'd be here looking for her," he said. "I was right."

"You don't understand," Draco said.

Blaise scoffed. "You're right. I don't understand you."

Draco glared at him. "It's eating me up inside, not knowing what she's hiding!"

"If she does have a secret, what do you care?" Blaise asked. "I've never seen you go this mental over something before."

"Don't you get it? If I find out what it is, I can use it against her. I can make her _willingly_ go to Voldemort!" Draco said.

Blaise shook his head. "Even if you find out her secret, it's Granger we're talking about. She's proud and stubborn. There's no way she would ever willingly do something you said."

"I bet if she was blackmailed she'd do it," Draco said.

Blaise shook his head. "I don't understand why you don't just imperio her and take her to Voldemort. We could be done with it tonight!"

"Because there's no victory in that," Draco said.

"This was never about following Voldemort's wishes, was it?" Blaise asked. "You just want your own revenge!"

"I'd take it out on Potter if I could, but he seems to have disappeared off the face of the Earth. I'm willing to settle," Draco said.

Blaise was silent for a minute, though he stared at Draco with suggestive eyes.

"What?" Draco snapped.

"I don't think this is against the whole Golden Trio, I think you're just fixated on Granger," Blaise said.

"This again?" Draco asked tiredly as he made a move to leave the hospital wing.

"Yes, because it baffles me that you don't see it," Blaise said.

"I don't see it because it's not true," Draco argued.

"Granger has always bested you at everything. No one else can do that. You're telling me that you're fine with that? You only want to break her down because she's friends with Potter? No way. I know you too well for that. This is personal," Blaise said.

Draco gritted his teeth so hard he felt as if one of them was going to snap. "So maybe it is personal."

"You finally realize it! It's a miracle!" Blaise said.

"So what?" Draco asked.

"Don't you see that living with her makes it perfect for you to be able to torture her?" he asked.

Draco was instantly interested. "I don't see how when she puts spells and hexes on everything of hers to keep me away."

"Have a preemptive strike. The stuff in there is yours too."

"That's a really good idea, Zabini," Draco said.

"Let me know how it goes," Blaise said making his way towards the door of the hospital wing.

"You won't be waiting very long," Draco said.

* * *

Three days passed since Draco had talked to Blaise in the hospital wing. His words still played in Draco's mind but they were overshadowed by Granger once again. She managed to pull more stunts that had only successfully confused him more. After she got out of the hospital wing she was back to herself. She got good grades, did her patrols, was social and outgoing with her old Gryffindor friends.

No trace of that strange, secretive girl from the first day was left. He didn't understand how such a change was possible. Even the burns she had inflicted on herself were already completely healed. No one seemed to think it was strange but him.

She didn't go out of her way to avoid him anymore, she wouldn't talk to him if she could help it. When it came to head duties she would pester him like nothing had happened. Yesterday he had stopped her on patrol and asked her flat out "What is wrong with you?"

Her answer to that was a sharp retort and a dirty look. He shook his head carefully. Maybe Blaise was right about the pre-emptive strike thing. If he was ever going to figure out the reason for her bipolar moods, he would need to be one step ahead of her.

Draco heard the portrait close suddenly and he sat up in his bed. He knew that she was back from wherever she had been. Time to move into position.

* * *

As soon as Hermione returned to the Head Dorms, she was quick to rush to the shower. She shed her dirty clothes to the white tile floor and hopped into the shower. She turned it on, letting the hottest of the water run over her tensed muscles.

Brown muck splattered the beautiful white tiles beneath her as the dirt was rinsed from her hair and skin. She ran her fingers through it, enjoyed the feeling of the water in her freshly cleaned hair. Her wet hair clung gently to her back and shoulders as the last of the dirt left it.

She held a hand to the side of her head and closed her eyes as the water soothed her. For once she almost felt as if she was at peace. She knew that the feeling never lasted long. While it was here, she would enjoy every second of it.

She could hear sounds within the room suddenly and she tensed. She crept to the edge of the curtain and peered out to see Malfoy was sitting on the bench, clutching a towel.

"Malfoy! Get the hell out!" she screeched. "What happened to your "no bathroom or bedroom" rule!?"

He ignored her hysteria as he stood to his feet. "I'm watching you, Granger. I know you're up to something."

Hermione curled the curtain around her body as she stared at him outraged. "I'm not up to anything, you prat!"

Malfoy scoffed and shook his head as he took a step closer to her. "Always hiding, huh?"

Her face scrunched up in confusion.

Draco gestured to the curtain. "It's just like you, hiding the truth of yourself. Even though that curtain is see through, you still think you can hide behind it."

"I'm not hiding anything," she said through gritted teeth. Her grip on the shower curtain tightened.

Malfoy took another step closer to her so that only the shower curtain separated them. Hermione instantly took a step backwards, her back was pressed to the wall and Malfoy stared at her as he ripped the shower curtain out of her hands. She stared at his looming figure as he pressed his body against hers, his hands on either side of her head. He was so much bigger than her that his shadow engulfed her. She whimpered as she felt the point of his erection rub against her thigh.

"You may have fooled everyone else, but you won't trick me. I know you've been avoiding doing patrols with me. I've seen the mud you've tracked in here late at night every night for the past week. I don't know where you've been, but damn it, I'm gonna find out," he threatened her, his breath fanning over her lips.

"What does my life matter to you?" she hissed.

"I guess I have a little secret I'm keeping from you," he said.

Hermione was speechless.

Malfoy broke the eye contact to glance down her body once. "You're exposed now."

"Get out!" Hermione growled, trying desperately to cover herself with her hands.

"I'll leave for now, but this isn't over yet," Malfoy said, gray eyes filled with lust.

He thrust the towel at her and hurried out of the bathroom leaving a confused and worried Hermione in his wake.


	10. Chapter 10

Hermione was too stunned to move even after Malfoy left. Without thinking she reached out and wrapped the curtain around herself again. All she could think of was the look in Malfoy's eyes…and the words that had left his lips. He was onto her, and enjoyed the feeling he got by toying with her. Hermione felt as surprised now as she had when he had put the crucio curse on her the first day.

She swallowed heavily as she stood in the shower, curtain wrapped around her as the water from the faucet began to run cold. She watched the direction that Malfoy had disappeared into, part of her expected him to come back. After a minute he didn't, and she rushed to get herself dressed. Very cautiously she picked up her wand and made her way to the common room.

Malfoy was relaxing against the couch. Hermione wasted no time storming up to him with her wand outstretched. He gave her an amused look as she approached him.

"What the bloody hell is your problem?" she asked.

"I'm stuck in an ignorant school with a bucktoothed mudblood as a roommate," he said shrugging. "What's your problem?"

"You know what my problem is, ferretface. If you ever- and I do mean _ever- _come into the bathroom while I'm in there again, I will hex you," Hermione said.

Malfoy smirked at her. He knew that he was getting under her skin, provoking her beyond her control. "I don't see the Head Girl doing something like that."

Hermione gritted her teeth. She did a lot of things that no one knew she was capable of. "Don't push me."

Malfoy stood to his feet. "I can do what I want, Granger."

Hermione lifted the point of her wand so that it was aimed at his throat. "Don't make me do it."

Malfoy stretched his arms out. "Hex me then. Let's see you explain to McGonagall what happened to the Head Boy."

Hermione pulled back her wand to start a curse when a voice in the back of her mind woke up. Instantly it screamed in her ear that he wasn't worth it. The entire time she had attended Hogwarts she hadn't ruffled any feathers and she had contributed as much as she could. It had helped her maintain her place in the school that she loved so much. Malfoy's immaturity wasn't worth throwing all of that away. Malfoy wasn't worth getting tossed out of Hogwarts, he wasn't worth losing her trusted position in the Order. Hesitantly, she pulled her wand down.

Malfoy raised his eyebrows as he looked at her. Triumphant glee was apparent on every feature on his face. "I knew you wouldn't do it."

"You aren't worth it," she growled turning to storm up the stairs to her room.

His laughter followed her the entire way. Hermione tried her best to block out the sound as she threw on her school robe and picked up her bag. Without wasting a second she made her way back down the stairs. Malfoy had re-positioned himself on the couch. When Hermione made her way to the portrait hole, his eyes followed her. The triumph couldn't hide itself.

* * *

When Hermione got to the Great Hall for breakfast she was still storming. Ginny skipped up to her, the small redhead unaware of the bitter mood of her dear friend. She sat down beside Hermione as she chewed on an apple.

"Hey, Hermione," she offered.

Hermione glanced at her half-heartedly.

Ginny instantly knew that something was wrong. "What did he do?"

Hermione looked at her friend. She would tell her anything, and part of her actually desired to tell her how much of a scumball Malfoy was, but she knew that if she told her, she'd have to mention Malfoy's threat. She didn't want to leak anything that would even mildly give Ginny a hint at what she was hiding.

"He's just being a prat about showing up to the Head meetings on time," Hermione said.

Ginny's tension relaxed a bit. "Just tell McGonagall that and she'll get on him."

Hermione yawned. "I know."

"How's your burn anyways?" Ginny asked.

Hermione pulled up her sleeve to show her friend the worst of the area that had been damaged. The skin was still purple and looked sore to the touch but it didn't bother her. Ginny cringed at the sight.

"I'm healing," Hermione said as she pulled her sleeve back down.

Ginny took another bite of her apple and reached across the table to grab a bagel. She stopped mid-motion as she caught sight of something.

Hermione noticed her reaction instantly. "What's wrong?"

"Why is Zabini staring at you?" Ginny asked, turning to look at her with worried eyes.

"I don't know," Hermione said.

She watched the Slytherin at the edge of the Great Hall as he began to make his way over to her. Hermione steeled her face as she got up to face him. She didn't know why, but she had a feeling that Zabini was here because of Malfoy.

"Granger," he greeted her.

"Zabini," she replied. "What do you want?"

"Malfoy's told me some things," he said tipping his head to the side.

Hermione's hart began to flutter in panic. What things had Malfoy said about her? Why was it that Zabini was the one to confront her about it?

"What things?" she asked sharply.

"A little bit of fun in the shower, perhaps?" he said, a suggestive smile on his face.

Hermione instantly felt color flush her cheeks. She was sure she could guess what kind of story Malfoy had told him…but why?

"Why are you telling me this?" she snapped.

Zabini looked at her nonchalantly. "Your little secret has been driving the boy crazy."

Hermione's heart felt as if it was going to explode. How was it that the Slytherins noticed something was wrong with her, but the people she had shared a common room with for years never noticed that anything was off?

"What's your point?" she asked.

"I have a little proposition for you," Zabini said.

"You mean blackmail?" she guessed.

He tilted his head from side to side. "That's a way of putting it, yes."

"So what? Malfoy's too scared to take care of his own business now? He needs to get a puppet to do it for him?"

"No, I'm merely playing my part by delivering this message."

Hermione was silent as she waited for him to speak.

"Tell Draco your little secret, or he's gonna keep telling stories about you," Zabini said.

Hermione clamped her teeth together and stood as tall as she could as she faced him. "Why should I do that? Why should I have anything to do with conniving Slytherins?"

"If you don't, he'll make your reputation around here go down fast, which means saying goodbye to your Head position," he said, the biggest smile yet plastered on his face.

Hermione stared at him, the ability to kill became very real.

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:  
**

**I wanted to thank everyone that's left me reviews so far. The support is much appreciated! As for Hermione's secret, the chapter will present itself soon. If you were confused about this chapter, Blaise is tired of being at Hogwarts and wants Draco to hurry up and get Hermione to Voldemort. **

**The next chapter will be up in about a week, maybe sooner if I find the motivation to write it. In the meantime, leave those beautiful reviews so I know what you think so far!**

**Thanks as always**

**~Wolfshine**


	11. Chapter 11

Draco had a lot of thoughts on his mind after the encounter with Hermione that morning. He found that toying with her was a very enjoyable new pastime. He knew it wasn't easy to get to the brave hearted Gryffindor, but he was managing just fine. He had pushed her not once, but almost twice into breaking school rules just to deal with him.

The thought of her nearly hexing him didn't seem to register in his mind as much as the encounter in the bathroom did. He had mixed emotions about that. Of course he enjoyed the fact that Granger was in fear of him finding out her secret. She had obviously thought her oddities would've gone unnoticed, that he would pay them no attention or was simply unintelligent. She had greatly underestimated him and that was where she had gone wrong.

He wanted to know more than anything what secret she was hiding from everyone. He wanted to know so badly it hurt. After Hermione left the dorm in her fit of rage Draco carefully stood from his place on the couch. He made his way up the stairs to her room. Very carefully he casted a few spells, checking for hexes that the witch might've left for him.

To his surprise he found no traps. He got into her room easily. He looked around for a minute, disgusted at the red and gold tapestries that surrounded her room. He noticed instantly how neatly she kept everything. If he wanted to find anything secret, he knew that it might take a little bit of effort. He skirted around her large bed to the walk in closet.

She didn't have many outfits or many other things in there. He had a feeling if she had anything to hide, it'd be in here. Instantly he moved his attention to her trunk which sat hidden in the back corner of the closet. He rummaged through it but noticed instantly that it wouldn't be of any use to him. Frustrated, he kicked it aside and began to search the shelves for anything out of place.

There was a small jewelry box on a shelf closer to the ceiling. It sat in the shadows so that it was almost out of sight if he hadn't been looking as carefully as he had. He smiled to himself, almost positive that something incriminating would be in it. He pulled the small box down and noticed that one of the plastic shelves was slightly opened. Overjoyed with himself, he set the box on a lower shelf and opened the drawer the rest of the way.

Inside sat two silver bracelets. He picked them up, studying each of them carefully. There was nothing special about them, if anything they were tacky and tasteless. He huffed in annoyance and tossed them back into the box, not bothering to close it before he went back into her room. He moved over to her nightstand and began to search through the drawers there. He hoped to find some kind of journal, anything where she'd feel safe to confide in her darker things.

Despite his searching, he found nothing that would answer his building pile of questions. He knew that she probably purposefully kept the room cleaned and her belongings carefully hidden with the knowledge that he would come and search for them. He quickly realized that he underestimated her a lot more than he should.

He gave his searching one last effort as he raided her dresser on the other side of the room. Almost instantly he found her underwear drawer. For a long moment he found himself just staring at the fabric. Something in him made him remember the look of her body as he cornered her in the bathroom. The thought made a familiar feeling of lust run through him. He growled feeling disappointed with himself as he slammed the drawer shut.

He heard the clock in the common room chime and he knew that it was time for Advanced Herbology, his first class of the day. He hated that class with the lot of it being overachieving Gryffindors. The only positive side was that he'd be able to keep an eye on Hermione and make her ever angrier with him. He felt as if he was so close to getting her to spill everything. He wouldn't let up until he did.

Draco gave her room a frustrated look over before he left and headed down the stairs. He hurried through the common room and into the hallway beyond. Since class had already started the hallways were nearly empty…except for one figure that was storming down it. Draco watched it for a minute before he realized it was Hermione, and she was in an even greater rage than she had been that morning.

When she saw him, the look of anger and hatred in her face intensified. She stormed up to him and pushed him violently backwards.

"What the bloody hell do you think you're doing now?" she snapped at him.

He laughed in stunned disbelief at her temper. "I'm going to class, Granger. Haven't we already talked about my little no touching rule?"

"Fuck your rule. You've broken all of them yourself. You need to have Zabini back off," she spat.

Draco was confused, but he didn't want her to know that. "I told you before, Granger. I can do what I want."

"I'm warning you. Just back off and you'll be a lot better off," she growled.

"You're all bark and no bite," he said rolling his eyes.

Hermione growled in her throat and pulled out her wand. With her free hand she grabbed Malfoy's collar and slammed him backwards into the wall, the tip of the wand pushed roughly to his windpipe.

She got as close to his ear as she could as she whispered, "I'm only here for one thing. If I kill you, no one would even bat a damn eye. If I kill you, nothing will change for me."

She pulled away from him and for a long moment his gray eyes locked on her brown ones. He stared at the depravity that was filling the depths of her eyes. At the rage that decorated her face. He knew perfectly well that she was serious. She glared at him for another moment and he watched in shock as a flash of yellow overtook her irises. She blinked once and the color was gone leaving Draco to wonder if what he had seen was real.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**Here's the next chapter, let me know what you think. I'm hoping that I'll be able to reveal Hermione's secret not in the next chapter, but the one after that. **

**Thanks to everyone that's read/reviewed so far. I'm thankful for everyone one of my readers! Don't forget to leave reviews with this chapter. I think it'd be fun for you to leave your guesses in a review. I wanna know what my readers think!**

**Anyways, until the next time!**

**~Wolfshine**


	12. Chapter 12

Draco watched Hermione walk away. She was enraged, it was obvious in every bitter step she took. He merely watched her small form vanish down the corridor with a baffled expression on his face. It was how he felt inside as well. He was stunned that she had actually turned on him, held the wand to his throat, and _threatened _him. What had she meant by saying that she only had one thing to do?

Hermione seemed to be more complicated that he originally thought. He had been positive that being a Gryffindor meant that she would've been above threats, especially since she was part of the Golden Trio. Over the course of the past five minutes the two of them had seemed to switch roles. He wasn't sure what to think of that.

There was something off about Hermione, something that he couldn't put his finger on. The blast of yellow color in her eyes had been shocking to say the least. The thought excited him however because he knew that that was what he had been waiting for. He was so close to her secret now that he could almost taste it. In his mind he could only thing of very few things that could cause a color shift like that.

She could be harboring some kind of an entity without her knowledge. It would explain the moodswings, the anger, and the secrecy. He frowned as he realized that it wouldn't explain why she was always tracking mud into the dorm room and why she had gone to such lengths to hide it from everyone. In his mind he crossed that off the list.

There were bugs in the Forbidden Forest known as radioactive cockroaches. It was possible that she had been bitten by one of them during one of her nighttime trips off school grounds with Potter and Weasley. It would definitely account for the color in her eyes. The frown deepened though as he realized that it wouldn't cover anything else.

In his mind he narrowed down the list to another option; werewolf. He remembered his third year, the professor of dark arts, Professor Lupin. The man had harbored a deathly fear of the moon. He disappeared a lot, and was bitterly angry at moments that really didn't call for it.

Was it possible that the Gryffindor Princess wasn't just a mudblood, but a filthy mutt as well?

He shook his head. It was impossible. In all her years of attending Hogwarts, someone would've noticed the signs. She surely would've been banished from the school instead of praised every year that she attended. Her secret had to be something else, something that for all his intellect, slipped his mind. Going through her belongings hadn't yielded any answers. He wondered if it was time to go to the library and do some research.

He would skip class for now, and allow Granger time to breathe, though the image of her burning chocolate eyes would be scorched in his memory for quite some time. He hadn't been scared by her sudden hostility. He was surprised, yes, but not scared. Something else had stirred in him at the encounter. A resonating thought that he had felt when he rummaged through her underwear drawer.

She was a woman…and she wasn't ugly either.

Draco was glad that no one could read his thoughts, and he was even happier that no one was around at the moment. He adjusted his robes carefully to hide the bulge as he made his way to the library. He turned down a hallway and to his surprise ran into Blaise.

"Finally found you!" he said.

"I didn't realize you'd be looking for me?" Draco said raising an eyebrow to his friend. "Did I miss something?"

"I figured you'd be in herbology with Granger," he said.

Draco rolled his eyes. "Are you still on that? I told you I-"

Blaise shook his head and the playfulness vanished in a moment. By the look on his face it was almost obvious why he was a Slytherin. He was cold, conniving, and manipulative just like the rest of them, despite his friendly exterior. "Honestly, I don't care what you feel for her, you do have a job to do remember? I don't think we can keep him waiting much longer."

"I have it under control," Draco said barely able to contain his excitement as he remembered the last encounter with Hermione once again. "I know what I'm doing."

"Whatever you're doing, I don't think you're doing it fast enough," Blaise said sounding serious for once in his life. "If it's alright with you, I'd like to get home preferably sooner than later."

"Well, Voldemort entitled _me _with this job, not you. You're just here to "help" me," Draco said. "If you don't like it, it's your too bad."

"It'll be both of our "too bad" if Voldemort gets tired of waiting. I mean all you have to do is put one spell on the girl and it's over," Blaise said. "He's not stupid. He knows that."

"He also knows that Malfoys like to play head games," Draco said. "I'm sure he's willing to wait once he finds out that I've been making her life a living Hell."

"I'm your friend so that means I'm all for you working out your mental issues," Blaise said putting up his hands defensively. "All I'm saying is I found a way to maybe speed things along some."

The gears in Draco's head clicked into place as he remembered what had spurred Hermione to such bitter anger. "Granger said that you did something to her today, what was it?"

"I gave her an ultimatum," Blaise said with a wide smile plastered on his face.

"Oh?" Draco asked, interested.

"I told her that if she didn't tell you her secret, you were going to kill her reputation," he said.

"Not a bad little threat," Draco mused, "especially since her Golden act is all she really has. I actually rather like that. Go ahead and spread what you will. We'll see how quickly she comes to her senses."

"I knew you'd agree," Blaise said grinning. Then it dropped. "I guess that means no progress with her then, huh?"

Draco shook his head. "She's difficult. No matter what, she always seems to be thinking ahead."

"We'll get her," Blaise said.

Draco stared in the direction of the corridor that she had disappeared down minutes before. "Yeah, we will."

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**The next chapter will be the one that everyone's waiting for! I want to take a minute to thank everyone that left reviews again. I really appreciate all the positive feedback, it makes me feel good about my story. **

**If things work out I'll be posting the next chapter in about a week. Until then, leave your reviews and let me know what you think! Thank you loyal fans for all your reads! **

**Until next time**

**~Wolfshine**


	13. Chapter 13

**Author's Note:**

**This is what you've all been waiting for, the chapter where Hermione's secret is revealed! I know some of you might be dissapointed, but believe me when I say I thought alot about it. I have a really good idea of where to go with this so please don't judge me too harshly before I have the chance to show you all that.**

**If this story does disappoint you, I'm thinking of making alternate endings to it.**

**Don't lose faith in me!**

**~ Wolfshine**

* * *

It had been almost an entire month since Blaise had created the ultimatum for Hermione. Draco wasn't surprised that she didn't spill a word of her secret. Instead she let Blaise spread malicious rumors and lies about her. People didn't know what to think of her anymore. While that held its own bit of beauty, it wasn't the outcome that Draco had been hoping for.

He sighed as he relaxed in his bed. Was she really this impossible to break?

He grinned to himself. He knew better than to give up. He had pushed her to the edge. All it would take was just one more push to get her over it. He was a manipulative person, it was just part of being a Slytherin. He could plot a lot of things but for once he realized that he was running out of ideas. He had been nearly praying that Blaise's idea would work.

At the same time he knew it wouldn't.

He heard footsteps in the common room suddenly. He sat up to listen. It was only three in the morning. Where would Hermione possibly be sneaking off to? The shock wore off almost instantly and was replaced with a huge conniving smile. He realized that this might be his chance to find out everything. All he had to do was confront her.

He hopped out of bed and was quick to throw on his robes before he dashed out to the common room. He made it to the last stair just in time to see the portrait hole close as Hermione left. Draco raised his eyebrows in disbelief. Maybe this opportunity would fare better than to just confront her. He decided to follow her instead.

He waited a second for Hermione to be out of hearing range of the portrait before he made his way out to the corridor beyond. It was dark and quiet, one single torch flickered from a bit down the hall. It gave off enough light for him to see a slender shadow sneak around the bend in the hallway.

Draco's heart was pounding hard in his chest as he followed the Gryffindor princess. All kinds of scenarios ran through his mind. Where was she going at this time of night? He knew it wasn't for a patrol. All of her nagging and schedule making made him sure of that.

He followed her as quietly as he could through the twists and turns of various hallways. For a little while he began to tire of it, thinking that maybe she was just sneaking in an extra patrol after all. His interest perked again when he realized she made it to a door that led outside. She stopped for a moment and looked around. Draco ducked behind a bend in the hallway, hoping that she hadn't seen him.

A moment later he heard the sound of the door opening, and knew that he was in the clear. He was quick to follow her outside. Instantly the chill of the night froze him. A thin layer of snow covered the ground which made it easier to see where he was going…and where Hermione had gone as well. Slowly he followed her footsteps through the snow. The blast of icy wind made his teeth chatter and his skin crawl as it pierced through his thin robes.

He kept walking despite it. It wasn't long before he could see her ahead. She was running through the snow, no shoes on her feet. He realized she was clad in muggle clothes; a jacket and jeans. The hood was drawn up over her long hair. Draco followed, more intrigued than ever. Where was she going in this condition? The questions just kept building.

He followed her all the way across a field, his racing mind distracted from his physical condition. He remembered from first year that it led to Hagrid's cabin, was it possible that that was where she was going? It wasn't unlike the Golden Trio to go there at ridiculous times at night. She made a turn away from it suddenly and Draco guessed that she had something else in mind.

He licked his lips, suddenly not caring about the cold as he pursued her. He had a feeling in his heart that he was so close to her secret now that he could barely contain it. This was the moment he had waited almost two months for.

He followed her right to the edge of the Forbidden Forest. He ducked behind a bush as he watched her. Hermione was standing there, glancing around. She wrapped her arms around her chest as if she had suddenly realized how cold it was. She looked up at the sky, almost as if she was searching for something.

Her attention suddenly focused on the trees that she stood beside. Draco watched in disbelief as she began to shed off her clothing piece by piece. His gray eyes were a mix of disbelief and lust as she stood there, naked in the freezing darkness of the night. Her long brown hair ran down her back like an unmovable piece of clothing. She didn't seem to notice as she glanced up one more time at the sky.

Suddenly she howled in pain and dropped to all fours. Her body seemed to be ripping apart as chocolate covered fur sprouted from all over. Her hands lengthened to paws with sharpened claws sticking from the tips of her fingers. Her feet extended and a tail grew from her back. Fully transformed she threw her head back to howl into the still night air. A howl responded to her from deep in the forest. Her ears perked up at the sound and in a flash her massive form disappeared through the trees.

Draco stayed in his hiding place, his eyes filled with disbelief. Hermione Granger was a werewolf.

A smile caressed his face. He was going to destroy her.


	14. Chapter 14

Hermione was tired as she wandered through the woods. She was shivering uncontrollably as she clutched her arms around her naked body. She was exhausted, cold, and drained. Her trip through the woods had been a lot longer than she had originally intended. She knew that somewhere the sun was beginning to rise on the horizon line. In a few hours she would need to be in class.

Yet all she wanted to do was sleep.

She always hated when she shifted back to her human form. She felt so weak knowing that the amazing power of her wolf form was gone. She barely had enough strength to make it out of the woods, let alone the entire trip back to Hogwarts. She sighed and pushed the thought away as she recognized the path that would lead her to the end of the woods.

The sticks crunched under her feet as she made her way outside. The bottoms were so calloused that she noticed neither the pain or cold. She narrowed her eyes against the sun as she glanced at the spot in the snow where she had thrown her clothes. Her heart began to pound in her chest once she realized that they were gone.

She bent down and began to frantically part the snow in search of her missing belongings. A few feet away she heard the sound of someone clear their throat. She gasped at the sound and looked up. Her eyes locked on those of Malfoy.

"Looking for something?" he asked sneering as he dangled her clothes in the air.

Hermione stood slowly as she swallowed. "Give me my clothes, Malfoy."

"Oh, no, no," he said, the smile deepening.

Hermione growled in the back of her throat before she tried to lunge for her clothes. No matter what, she was determined to be defiant.

Draco glared at her. "You'd do better to not anger me. I know your secret."

Hermione froze instantly as she wrapped her arms around her exposed chest. She wasn't planning on giving up without a fight.

"W-what do you mean?"

"Do you honestly think I'm that stupid?" Draco asked laughing. Then his face hardened. "Hermione Granger, the brightest witch of her age, the Gryffindor Princess, is nothing but a filthy werewolf!"

Hermione's eyes were wide. "That's not true!" She tried to lie.

"If it's not, then why are you naked in the woods?" he asked raising an eyebrow.

Worry creased Hermione's face. She was speechless. She had been caught in the heat of the moment, and she knew that no amount of lying would be able to save her.

He had backed her into a corner, and he knew it.

"Wait until the school finds out. Everyone will hate you," Draco sneered as he took a step closer to her. "You'll be exiled!"

Hermione's face broke at the malice in his words. "Draco, please, you can't tell anyone."

Draco stared at her, surprised that she had addressed him by his first name. The look on her face was heartbreaking. Her pretty heart shaped face seemed suddenly pale and fragile. If she wasn't a mudblood he might've felt sorry for her.

"Why not, mudblood?" he asked as he ran her clothes through his hands.

"It would destroy me! I would be expelled from Hogwarts," she said. "I'd be disowned by everyone!"

He scoffed as he looked at her through cold eyes. "That's the point. It's about time people start to see you for the filth that you are."

Hermione sighed. His words stung, but she was in place to respond with anger. She knew her future was hanging on this one moment.

"The reason I'm at Hogwarts is because I'm a werewolf. When I was a little kid, Dumbledore took notice of me. He knew what I was and knew my potential. Even though I was born from muggles, he allowed me to come to Hogwarts to protect Harry and Ron. McGonagall doesn't know what I am, even Harry and Ron don't. It was a secret between just me and Dumbledore."

Draco was interested in her words. "They didn't need you anymore though, did they?"

She frowned. "No. That's why I was supposed to stay at Hogwarts." She looked up at him through eyes shining with tears as if she suddenly realized how serious her situation was. "You can't tell anyone! Please! My education is my life! I know you hate me, but if anyone finds out, this will absolutely destroy me."

Draco grinned wickedly. He was fully aware that he had her pleading with him. If only he could get her on her knees, it would make the moment perfect.

"Make a deal with me," he demanded through eyes gleaming with triumph.

Hermione swallowed heavily. "On what grounds?"

"I won't tell anyone what you are." He paused for a long moment.

"If?" Hermione prompted.

"If you become my slave," he finished, his eyes running down the length of her body.

Hermione's skin crawled. "There's no way I'm going to do that."

"Then I guess you don't want to go to Hogwarts anymore," Draco said shrugging.

Hermione bit her lip as she realized the dilemma she had just been caught in.

"Suit yourself," he said tossing her clothes at her before he turned to walk away.

"Wait," she called after him.

He smiled again as he turned to face her.

"I'll do it."

* * *

**A/N: So, that's the deal with the devil lol. I have some really strong ideas for this story. Leave me a review and let me know what you think of it so far. Thanks to everyone reading! New chapter will be posted sooner if I get more reviews!**

**Sincerely, **

**Wolfshine**


	15. Chapter 15

"I'll do it."

Those three words had felt like razor blades slicing her throat all the way up. She couldn't believe the situation Malfoy had backed her into. She felt like throwing up. In that moment, she desperately missed Harry and Ron. She wished more than anything that she had been sent with them on their Horcrux mission.

She desperately wished that she was anywhere else.

The smile on Malfoy's face made her sick to her stomach. She had never seen him look so _happy_. She knew that her life was bound to be Hell.

"Alright, pet," he said watching her as she quickly pulled on her clothes. "Meet me in the Head Dorm in ten minutes."

Hermione blinked as he began to make his way back across the field. She didn't move, didn't respond to his request. Her brain was trying hard to digest everything that had just happened. She didn't want to follow him, didn't what to know what her new obligation held.

She wanted, more than anything, to just turn back into a wolf and run away into the woods. She knew she couldn't do that. Running would solve nothing, it would only make things worse. Eventually, someone would find her anyways. The Order was depending on her to figure out what Malfoy was planning. Maybe her situation would put her in the perfect position to find out what it was.

She tried her best to continue to think positive as she began to slowly walk across the field. She found that the closer she got to the castle, the more pessimistic her thoughts became. It was hard for her to think positively when she knew what her future held.

It was _Malfoy _that she was bargaining with. _Malfoy _that was holding her fate in the palm of his hand. He could ask her to do anything and would expect her to follow through with it. For all she knew, he might find things for her to do to degrade her and then still spill her secret.

She blinked as she neared the castle entrance. She thought about the animalistic side of her. She wished that she would be able to turn off her emotions and conscience for an hour or two. If she killed Malfoy, most of her problems would stop at the source.

Animal or human, she wasn't able to take another life…even one as nasty as Malfoy's.

As she stood outside of the portrait hole, she paced back and forth. In her mind, she debated the events ahead of her. She didn't like that for once, she wasn't in control of her own life. Her heart pounded in her chest as she wondered what he was going to make her do. She thought that, in a way, being Malfoy's slave would be even worse than people knowing her secret.

She was positive that they were equally detrimental to her future.

She jumped at the sudden sound as the portrait swung open. Malfoy stood in the entrance, a frown on his face as he looked at her.

"You know I can hear you out here. Were you ever actually planning to come inside today?" he drawled.

Hermione swallowed. "Just preparing myself," she answered honestly and pushed past him to go inside.

She plopped down on the couch as he closed the portrait hole and entered the common room. He stood in front of Hermione with a smirk on his face.

She didn't like the look of it one bit.

"What's first?" she asked, hesitant to know his response.

"First, we need to set some rules," Malfoy said as he began to pace the length of the room.

Hermione swallowed heavily as she risked a glance at him. "Okay," she said drily.

"The first rule is the most obvious; you must do what I ask without complaint. No matter what. At the slightest hesitation, I will let everyone know your secret," he said. "Remember, I have nothing to lose either way."

Hermione didn't like the sound of his words, but she couldn't help but nod her head. "Of course."

"Second, you can't tell anyone of our little arrangement. That calls for the same punishment as the first rule. Got it?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

Hermione ground her teeth, already ready to lash out at him. "Yes."

He smirked. "Alright, first task for you," he said as he turned to pick up a roll of parchment off the armchair, "is to finish my Herbology paper. I want to go to Hogsmeade today, and I refuse to let a paper change that."

He threw it at her and Hermione held it in her hand in disbelief. "This will take me hours to do, and I wanted to go to Hogsmeade too! I already made plans with Ginny!"

"What did I just say about complaining?" he asked raising an eyebrow. "As for your plans, you'll have to cancel them."

Hermione opened her mouth to say something else, but stopped herself. She knew better than to push the issue farther. With a dejected sigh, she unrolled the scroll and searched out a quill to begin his work.

Malfoy watched her for a long moment before he turned and left the Dorm without a word.

* * *

Draco felt giddy as he walked down the corridor. He couldn't believe his plan was actually working. He had actually outsmarted the great Hermione Granger. He was almost positive that even with the information he had, Granger would find a way to weasel out of his plans. He had successfully trapped her. She knew it as well as he did.

The assignment he had given her was a test to see if she would actually go through with her end of the bargain. It had worked.

He was still in shock about it as he went to seek out Blaise in the Great Hall. He didn't know why he felt as if he had needed to lie to Granger, but he had. He found Blaise sitting with Crabbe and Goyle at the Slytherin table. Draco didn't approach all the way; he stared at Blaise, signaling with his eyes for his attention.

Blaise understood instantly what he meant and got up to greet his friend.

"Did you figure out her secret?" Blaise guessed.

Draco nodded. "We'll be going home soon.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**So, what do you think so far? Love it? Hate it? How far do you think the bargain will go?**

**Let me know in a nice review!**

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**Until next time,**

**~Wolfshine**


	16. Chapter 16

As coolly as he had entered the Great Hall, Draco left, leaving Blaise behind him. He had a mission in mind as he entered the Slytherin Common Room. His housemates looked at him surprised as he made his way to the dorm rooms. None of them spoke in fear of provoking one of his mood swings. He was glad for it; even happier when he realized that Pansy was nowhere in sight.

In fifth year, he had hidden a multitude of trinkets and amulets of things to use in supernatural situations.

He finally had the perfect opportunity to use it.

He wasted no time lifting the floorboard that he had stuffed it under. He rummaged through the box quickly. He tossed aside a clove of garlic and a bottle of holy water and continued digging. Finally, at the bottom of the box, he felt a solid metal strip. He was quick to pull it up to his eye level. With a smirk on his face, he stuffed it into his cloak and stored the rest of the things back in the box under the floorboard.

He quickly exited the common room as silently as he had entered. He found his way back to the entrance of the Head Dorm. He whispered the password to the woman in the picture and quickly slid inside. Hermione was still on the couch, bent over a massive pile of books and parchment as she worked on his assignment. Her back was to him.

He smirked; it was the perfect position for him to strike.

Very carefully, he began to sneak up behind her. Hermione gasped and noticed his presence at the same time as he pushed her mess of tangled hair aside and snaked the metal strip around her neck. Instantly, she dropped the quill and reached up to paw at it as she stood to her feet.

"What is this? What did you do?" she screeched as she whirled on him. Her wide brown eyes stared at him, demanding an answer.

Draco smirked. "Calm down, pet. All dogs need a collar."

"It's silver. You can't do this!" she said, desperately trying to pull it off.

"You forget who's in charge here," he said. He reached out to let his fingers graze the surface of the metal, and Hermione flinched away instantly. "I can't have you turning psycho on me now, can I?"

"If you forbid me from changing, I'll get sick!" Hermione argued, in disbelief.

"Not my problem," he replied.

"Surely you've read about werewolves somewhere, this is inhumane!" she screeched.

"Silence!" Draco ordered, suddenly feeling frustrated with her. "How do you think Snape "helped" Lupin?"

Hermione frowned. "There are potions and relaxation techniques, things that are much less hazardous for me to prevent from changing."

"Did you finish the assignment?" he asked with a cold clipped tone as he tried to change the subject.

"You have to help me get this off!" she huffed, once again trying to pry at it with her long, delicate fingers.

Draco sighed, feeling frustrated despite himself. He pulled his wand out of his cloak and pointed it at the collar. "If you keep trying to pull it off, it'll only lock tighter. I've put spells on it so that it only may be removed by me."

Hermione tugged at it again as if she didn't believe him. "Then take it off."

"Not until I'm finished with you, pet," he said.

"Stop calling me that," Hermione snapped.

"Would you prefer the term "mutt"," he asked.

Hermione flinched at the insult.

"Now, did you finish that assignment? I don't want to have to ask a third time," he snarled as he tucked his wand away.

Worry appeared in the creases on Hermione's pretty face. She glanced down at the ground where the parchment had landed at her feet. "I didn't finish very much of it, you weren't gone very long." She picked it up.

Draco watched her like a hawk as she bent down. He could see down her white tank top. The sight of her breasts pushed against her shirt took his focus.

Hermione swallowed heavily as she studied the parchment and realized that she had knocked her bottle of ink onto the pages. "Bloody hell!" she gasped.

Draco stormed over to her and ripped the parchment from her fingers. "What did you do?"

"It was an accident," she said.

"Is this a game to you?" he growled, losing the hold on his temper.

Hermione shook her head. She recognized the tone he was using; it was the same one he had used on the day they had arrived at Hogwarts. She took a defensive step backwards.

"I told you, it was an accident!" she tried again, feeling angry despite herself.

"You want me to tell people what a freak you are, don't you?" he said maliciously as he approached her.

"I'm not a freak," she said through gritted teeth.

She could feel the rage engulfing her very flesh. It spiraled through her system from her head to her feet. She glared at Draco, her irises flashed amber. Draco observed the flush of emotions as the color faulted and immediately flickered back to brown. Hermione groaned at the pain that filled her as she stumbled weakly.

"A mudblood and a mutt? "M" is very fitting for you, isn't it," he sneered.

The failed transformation had drained Hermione of most of her energy. She knew she was in no shape to fight him. She did the only thing she could think of; she turned and ran. She hopped over the couch, trying desperately to make it to the safety of her room before Draco could stop her.

"Guess what else starts with an "M"? Malfoy," he jeered.

He was in quick pursuit. When she was at the foot of her stairs, he tackled her. They fell together, a blur of brown and blonde hair barely marked their positions as they fell to the ground. Hermione was in the worst of the pain from cushioning Draco's weight. She offered no struggle as he pinned her wrists to either side of her head. She was whimpering as he brought his face close to hers.

"It's much easier to control you this way, isn't it?" he asked softly.

He didn't wait for her to respond before he pressed his lips to hers. Hermione's eyes widened in disbelief. She tried to pull her tiny wrists free from his grasp, but she was too weak. She thought through all of the self-defense classes she had taken during her summers at home. Without wasting a second, she brought up her leg to knee him in his manhood.

Instantly, he groaned in pain and released her. She quickly wiggled from his grasp and ran to the safety of her room, locking the door behind her and leaving Draco in a pained huddle on the floor.

* * *

Hermione sat on the edge of her bed. She was shaking as she tried to recover from her weakened status and the kiss Draco had given her. She wiped at her mouth with her hand, trying to remove all traces of any saliva he might've left there. It had been so spontaneous. She felt her heart racing with the fear that was finally dwindling away.

She wondered what he had been planning, why he was forcing her to wear a silver collar. Already her wolf felt restricted and was pleading with her. She needed release, but the collar didn't allow for it. Hermione gritted her teeth and tried pulling at it once again. It still didn't budge.

She picked up her wand and tried every spell that she could manage to try and unlock it. None of them worked. Hermione pulled on it again in dismay. How would she go about her classes and her normal routine without people noticing what was around her neck?

People had already begun whispering about her, wondering why she had become so withdrawn and wondering why she had returned to Hogwarts without the aid of her two companions. With the collar, she knew they would begin to piece together things…the discovery of her secret seemed like a real possibility.

Without meaning to, a tear ran down her cheek. She already regretted her decision to work with Malfoy. Of course it wasn't going to be easy. He was cruel and demented.

And he hated her with all of his heart.

The thought of the kiss made her feel even worse. She had guessed when she took his offer that he was going to try and humiliate her. Was he really low enough to try and degrade her in the worst way possible? Hermione was terrified at his advance, but she smirked sardonically. She already knew the answer to her question.

She knew that she didn't have any other option. People just couldn't know what kind of a monster she harbored. She knew that Malfoy's name calling was only a scratch at the surface of things that would happen if the school were to find out. She'd be caged and secluded from the rest of the school until she was expelled from Hogwarts.

From there, she had no idea what her future would be.

There were many bounty hunters and dangers to known werewolves. If she was ever exposed, her very life would be on the line. She knew it had been the fate that her pack succumbed to. She had always promised herself that she wouldn't end up like them. Now, she wasn't too sure.

She heard a scratching at her window and looked up, watched clutched tight as she wondered what it was. She relaxed as she realized it was a tiny black owl. She moved over to her window and opened it. The owl stepped inside and allowed her to untie the parchment from its leg. She moved back over to her bed to read what it said.

Hermione,

Things are going well on our end. How are things at Hogwarts? We've heard through the grapevine that Malfoy is Head Boy; it should make your job much easier. Be careful, Hermione. We're both worried about you.

~Harry

Hermione smiled as she clutched the parchment in her hand. A slight tear ran down her cheek. Those were the kindest words she had received in a while. She didn't realize how much she missed her friends until Harry's note made her heart ache. She pulled out a fresh piece of parchment and a quill from her walk in closet before she began to write a note back.

Harry,

I miss you two as well. I wish more than anything that I was with you.

~Hermione

She smiled bitterly as she stared at her tiny note. She wanted to write pages worth of information, telling them everything that had happened and everything Malfoy had done. She couldn't do that. Her mind was swirling with her sorrow, too much to focus.

With a sigh, she folded the parchment and stood up to tie it around the tiny owl's leg. It hooted at her gently before it took off through the window. Hermione watched as its black form was swallowed up in the night.

* * *

When Draco finally regained himself, he moved over to plop down on the sofa. He was breathing deeply through his nose and mouth, trying anything to get his mind off of the pain she had caused. He had guessed in advance that his experiment would've ended badly. She was a fighter.

He had gotten what he needed; the collar worked. He would be in complete control of her transformations. Even though she was strong for the moment, the toll would eventually wear on her. She would come to him on her knees, begging for the release.

That was what he would wait for. It was only a matter of time before she cracked.

Draco smirked as he glanced towards the staircase that led to her room. She might've thought she had won, but he had other ideas. As carefully as he could, he stood to his feet and made his way up the stairs. He stopped at her closed door. Very quietly, he pressed his ear to the wood. There were no sounds from inside; he guessed she was already asleep.

In a matter of seconds, he countered all of her spells. He pushed her door open to peer inside. A beam of moonlight filtered into the room, directly onto the bed. He observed Hermione's small form as she slept. Her brown hair was loose, surrounding her delicate face as she rested. His eyes trailed down her body. He felt his lust building as he realized she was wearing only a t-shirt.

The bottom had hiked up, revealing her black panties underneath. He closed the door silently as he took off his robes, shirt, tie, and shoes. Very quickly, he crept into bed with her and placed his arms around her. She whimpered in her sleep, and Draco peered at her face to see that her eyes were flickering open.

He smiled when her brown eyes met his gray ones. She gasped and instantly began to push at him again. He turned his grip to steel as he held her in place.

"Get…off…of…me," she demanded as she grunted with effort.

Draco wasn't detoured. He uttered a spell, and instantly, Hermione slipped back into a deep sleep. He smiled as he stroked her curly hair.

"Relax, pet, your keeper's here," he whispered to her.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**Two updates in one week, I feel very excited about this story. This chapter was much longer than previous ones. I agree that they should be longer, I just haven't been able to think up how. Hopefully, the chapters from now on will be about the length of this one. **

**I appreciate all the reads I got in just a few days. Thanks to everyone and cookies to the people that left me reviews!**

**As always, leave those reviews so I know what you think of the story so far.**

**Do you like how Draco's being written? What about Hermione?**

**I need feedback!**

**~Wolfshine**


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